How do your workers find a book that has just been entered?

[Carol Roeder]

 

We frequently run into the problem of the data entry person enters a book into the database and the card catalog immediately shows it as "in".  The book has several more steps before it will be put on the shelf, so the patrons and/or workers cannot locate it.  We just started putting its location in Processing Area and are educating our workers to look in the location code before telling someone they can't find it. However I have to remember to take it out of the Processing

Area in the computer and change it to Main Library.  Does anyone else have a problem with this and how do they solve it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Joanne Ladewig]

If the data person enters it as "processing shelf" location, why not have her/him also place a (colored?) index card inside the book cover (or a Post-it note on the cover?) and write "In Processing." Then the last person to handle it before shelving (on a "New items" rack hopefully) will  change the location in the record and remove the note. Or if using the colored index card, could drop it in a special box so the cataloger or special person assigned will go through the cards promptly and change the location. In this case, you would need to put the book's title or number (or both) on the index card, and after it's been changed, just draw a line through the notation and re-use the card later. I'm recommending a colored card (extended half-way out of the book until its location is changed) so that it will catch your staff's eye - a plain white card might not. Would that system work?

[Carol Roeder]

Thanks for everyone's suggestions.  The problem is our processing area is across the hall and a library worker would not be able to leave the circulation desk to go and look for it.  We will probably just put processing area on location and train our workers to look there when a patron is looking for a book.  It is a bother to have to change the location whenever we put the book on the shelf, but I guess that is what we will do.  The post it idea is good, but if all new books go through the same process, I am not sure if it is necessary.  Also, I do hold some books back for people to choose memorials from, so they too are not available as soon as they are processed.

Again, thanks for your ideas.  Any others would be appreciated.

[Rita Kirkland]

We go by accession number and when it is a new number we know it is not available.  You can also note on the card catalog that it is in process, but that means you must go back in and remove that notation when the book is processed and ready to go out.  I think it is easy to just go by the number, but that is an individual decision of course.

 

Rita Kirkland

First Baptist Euless, Texas

[Carol Roeder]

At what point do you decide it is on the shelf and no longer a new number and how do you inform all of your workers?

Carol

[Sandra Fitts]

I would just suggest that the workers look in the processing area if they don't find it on the shelf.  If the patron doesn't find it, they are probably going to ask the workers anyway --- and WOW, if you have that many people using the catalog to look for new items, you have a rare church community! 

Most of our people will just ask, "do you have that new book...."  and, we'll either check the shelf or the processing area (and say, "it'll be ready in a few days; do you want me to hold it for you?"  Sometimes, if I think it will be too long before it gets on the shelf, we check it out to them anyway...processed or not!)